Arthur C. Brooks has spent the last two decades immersed in public policy analysis as the President of the American Enterprise Institute , and as an author, and opinion writer for the New York Times . While Brooks has in the past been registered as both Democrat and Republican, these days he says he identifies as independent. His latest book, called “Love Your Enemies: How decent people can save America from the Culture of Contempt” explores the great political divide that currently exists in

Naples-based singer, songwriter and guitarist Elizabeth Lockhart performs live in studio ahead of the release of her first solo album, “ Master Key .” Lockhart’s traditional folk compositions include elements of classical, world, pop and blues. Her soulful vocals, distinctive picking-style guitar playing and romantic writing style invite listeners on an intensely personal journey of love from loss and tragedy to ultimate redemption. The first single from the new album, “ Lifer ” dropped on March

Today is Spread the Word Day -- the word being inclusion . It’s a rebranding of sorts of a decade-old campaign called Spread the Word to End the Word -- the word that campaign sought to end is the word 'retarded' that has been used historically in this country as a derogatory way to refer to people with intellectual or developmental disabilities. The new Spread the Word Day is all about promoting efforts to create and nurture inclusion for people with disabilities in all aspects of our lives.

We’re learning about Project SEARCH which helps students with intellectual and developmental disabilities transition from school to work. The one-year program’s primary objective is to help recent grads develop life and work skills appropriate for competitive employment. Project SEARCH was first developed 20 years ago at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center , and is now at more than 300 sites across the U.S. and around the world, including here in Southwest Florida at HealthPark Medical

By now you’re probably familiar with the so-called “tiny house movement.” The basic idea is to drastically downsize your life so it fits into a small -- like 500 square feet or less -- home. Sometimes they’re on wheels and can be moved, sometimes they’re on foundations like a normal, larger house would be. Part of the movement is about simplifying one’s life and lifestyle, but affordability is also a driving factor. There is still no set definition as to what exactly constitutes a tiny house.

Spring is peak horseshoe crab mating season here in Florida, and although they’ve existed for about 450-million years, little is known about local populations. A few years ago the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Fish & Wildlife Research Institute -- along with the University of Florida -- launched a citizen science initiative to get trained volunteers to help biologists track nesting horseshoe crab populations. That program, which targeted key areas along the coast where

The annual session of the Florida Legislature begins Tuesday with a proposed budget from Governor Ron DeSantis of $91.3 billion. In addition to the task of passing a balanced budget, lawmakers will consider a broad range of legislative proposals concerning issues ranging from water quality protection and environmental conservation to bills concerning firearms and school safety, education, healthcare, medical marijuana, fracking and beyond.

Members of the Southwest Florida band Offset Era return to the WGCU Studios for a live in-studio performance! The band’s high-energy music blends pop punk, skate punk, alternative, ska, reggae with hip-hop and metal influences. They’ve recently released their new EP, “ New Blood .” The band’s first EP “ Lucky 13 ” was released in late 2015 and their second album, “ Learning to Swim Upstream ” came out last year. We’ll talk with band members Chris Clark (lead vocals/guitar), Vince Nelson (drums)

Kat Epple , Emmy and Peabody Award-winning composer and flutist, will perform at the Marco Island Historical Society for its 25th Anniversary celebration on March 5, in an event called “Calusa-Inspired Music & Storytelling.” The celebration features the permanent exhibit called “ Paradise Found: 6,000 Years of People on Marco Island ,” where Pre-Columbian artifacts discovered on the island are showcased. Epple joins us to play some of the Calusa-inspired music she composed that's part of the

We're joined by author John Capouya to explore Florida’s contribution to soul music he covers in his book, “ Florida Soul: From Ray Charles to KC and the Sunshine Band .” Capouya, an associate professor of journalism at the University of Tampa , highlights some of the most noteworthy Floridian musicians through research into and interviews about soul’s golden age. From Tampa, Capouya tells us more about Florida’s history of soul music and the details of his book. Capouya will present a lecture